Bound By Stupidity
by Time Won't Heal
Summary: Draco&Hermione. Arguing intently, they have no idea that they have just wandered into an unknown room at Hogwarts or so they later think. Bound by their own stupidity, will they ever manage to cooperate and find a route out?
1. Chapter 1

**Bound By Stupidity**

_Summary: Draco/Hermione. Arguing intently, they have no idea that they have just wandered into an unknown room at Hogwarts. Bound by their own stupidity, will they ever manage to cooperate and find a route out?_

_Rating: M; Rated this for a reason._

_Genre: Romance and General drama_

_Main Characters: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, bla, bla, bla. _

A/N  
I know that this first chapter is short, but it will help me determine whether to continue writing or not, with reference to how many reviews I get, if I get any. Please read and please do review. Thank you. 

_Anon._

Chapter 1

Trapped

It was the beginning of yet another new term at Hogwarts, and Harry Ron and Hermione were strolling down to their first lesson of the day as sixth years. To their dismay, their first lesson was of course Potions with their most hated teacher, professor Snape.

"Really, I don't know why we are always put with those bloody arrogant gits". Ron complained, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Oh give it a rest Ronald". Hermione replied.

Ron opened his mouth to moan a little more, but thankfully Snape had arrived, taking several points from Gryffindor for various different reasons as he entered the dungeon.

Hermione hated how tedious the room was. She preferred being surrounded by more colour and light.

"Alright there scar head?!" Draco Malfoy said loudly, causing his usual group of Slytherin friends to chuckle more louder than was necessary.

Harry stiffened. Ron's hands screwed into fists as his bag slid from his shoulder, dropping to the floor with a thud.

"No Ron". Hermione muttered, placing a hand on his arm.

Harry calmly sat down in a chair beside one of the blind covered windows. Ron joined him after Hermione had quietly persuaded him to do so.

Draco laughed furtively, as he walked towards a desk, on the opposite side of the room however.

"Malfoy", Snape began, speaking in a particularly fond tone. "And you", he added, his eyes jolting towards Hermione, "The headmaster would like to speak to you both in his office immediately".

Draco's upper lip curled in a vile way as he exchanged glances with Hermione, who just nodded to Harry and Ron to bid them goodbye.

The pair exited the room and began to walk towards Dumbledore's office. They remained silent until Hermione stepped slightly closer to Draco to avoid a puddle on the floor, which Hermione thought must have come from a leak as she looked up at the ceiling.

"What do you think you are doing?" Draco asked, jumping away from her.

"Oh don't start you stupid prat". Hermione said impatiently.

"I was merely stating that someone like _you _just stepped rather..."

"Someone like _me_?!" Hermione replied, raising her voice. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Granger, you know what I am talking about".

An evil cackle echoed throughout the corridor, followed by a range of clattering and splashing sounds.

"Peeves". Hermione and Draco said in unison.

They decided to take a detore to avoid getting hit by any of the mysterious objects that Peeves seemed to be throwing down at passers by. They turned to the right and began walking along another corridor towards the moving staircases.

"No I don't know what you were talking about actually". Hermione said, as they stepped onto one of the staircases, which automatically began to rotate.

Draco merely rolled his eyes, and decided not to answer her back, as it would only result in another argument. Then he would get severely annoyed, so he decided it just wasn't worth it.

"Oh so you're an ignorant, stupid pig as well as an arrogant..."

Draco had grabbed hold of Hermione's arm, swung her around and snatched his wand out of the pocket on the inner side of his robes. He held it close to Hermione's throat.

"Don't you _ever _speak to me like that again". Draco seethed, tightening the grip on Hermione's arm. "My father would-"

Hermione looked slightly alarmed, yet she was not scared of the boy in front of her.

"Your father would what? Have me killed like all muggle borns should be?"

"You are not a muggle born."

Hermione looked at Draco confused.

"You are a filthy..."

Hermione shoved Draco off her and also pulled out her own wand, also holding it up in Draco's general directon.

"You make my skin crawl Malfoy, and I don't know what makes you think I would want you anywhere near me. You are so vain, it is unreal. Now whether you wish to stand here and argue all day or not, I am going to see the headmaster." Hermione said calmly.

Draco laughed loudly, before stuffing his wand back in his pocket. Hermione doing the same.

They had no idea where they were now, as they had been arguing the whole way towards Dumbledore's office, so they just walked straight ahead, and through the nearest door to them. As they did so, Draco stepped away from Hermione.

"Oh don't be so immature Malfoy."

They entered the room and instead of feeling their feet step onto hard floor, they stepped into emptiness. There was nothing but air. Hermione felt her stomach jolt forwards and lurch as she began to fall, Draco close behind.

Within seconds, they landed on a hard surface. Smoke and dust surrounded them, and Hermione could just about see Draco flapping his arms around to try and regain his vision again.

The door above them closed and neither of them could see nothing but pitch black.

Hermione felt around on the floor for her wand, instead her hand found a hand. Almost instantly, she heard a noise which sounded similar to something that a ferret would make.

"Get off me mudblood". Draco barked, pulling his hand away from her.

She found her wand and stood up.

"Lumos".

She could now see Draco just getting to his feet, rubbing his head in the process.

"This is all your fault". Draco said.

"Shut up for a moment".

"Excuse me?"

They were surrounded by absolutely nothing. There was the sound of dripping water, and rocks falling from the massive amount of movement that just occurred. The ground below them was mainly rock with some patches of soil. Looking up above was like looking into a black hole, it was empty. The air surrounding them was cold, sending shivers down the pair's backs.

"Malfoy, listen to me. Where are we?"

"How the hell should I know Granger?"

Draco brushed his clothes down and he too proved light with his wand. He looked around at the surroundings and saw nothing. He looked at Hermione with a pained expression.

"Come on Granger, let's try and find a way out."

_A/N  
Please review _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N_

_Thank you to those who reviewed, please keep them coming.  
And thank you to all the people who are reading._

_Also, for those who may not know, Nyctophobia means to be scared of the dark or of nighttime._

Chapter 2

Nyctophobia

"What _are _you doing Granger?" Draco asked, holding his wand higher, so that more light swam across Hermione.

"Well Malfoy, in case you haven't noticed, we appear to be trapped. And if you don't mind, I would much rather attempt to find a way out of this place." Hermione replied anxiously. "Rather than fumbling around, like you clearly want to".

"I have you know, I would prefer to not be in your company at all, which explains why I am '_fumbling_' around". Draco answered.

"Okay then, you go off by yourself, we will soon see how far you get". Hermione replied.

"Fine- I...I will go off".

"Fine". Hermione said, speeding off into the shadows, her wand held high.

Draco watched as her wand light was slowly sucked into the darkness, and every trace of her had disappeared.

"_Rather than fumbling around like you clearly want to_". Draco mimiked sarcasticly.

He began to walk in a different direction, gripping tightly to his brightly lit wand.

He wandered on, feeling more uncomfortable as the presence of Hermione vanished completely. Even though he could not admit it, he felt more lonely than he had ever felt before. Regardless of the fact that he hated Hermione's existaece, he preferred how it was only moments ago, knowing that at least someone was there.

About an hour later and Draco was getting frustrated.

"Well this is just ridiculous". Draco spat.

He was aggravated now, as he was inevitably lost. He quicked up his pace due to the fact that he had began to panic as the Nyctophobia that he had suffered with all his life, began to kick in.

He could feel beads of sweat beginning to trickle down his spine. His head began to throb slightly as he looked into the darkness, convincing himself that he was not alone. He cold see shapes moving in the shadows. He could hear noises coming from all around.

* * *

Hermione continued her journey, glancing back only once to the reassuring light that was no longer there.

"_At least I have a better sense of direction_". She thought.

Hermione was feeling slightly abandoned, as she had gotten quite accustomed to being surrounded by familiar friendly faces. Now she had no one. Yet she still continued, in the hope that there would soon be a noticeable route out.

However, she was pretty certain that this was the sixth time that she had passed this certain wall of rock. And she was correct, and she had indeed be going round in circles. She slumped in a heap on the ground. She sat on the bleak, dewy ground for a while.

Eventually she picked herself up and began examining the wall that she had just been leaning against. There were some extraordinary ancient drawings within the rock. They were like nothing Hermione had ever seen before. She began touching the mysterious pictures, until something came to her attention, startling her. She could hear footsteps.

"Nox". She muttered under her breath.

She couldn't see anything now. She pressed herself against the wall, in a hope that she would be concealed from whoever or whatever was approaching her. And then something hard collided with her.

"OUCH!"

Draco tripped over, pulling Hermione down on top of him.

"Get off me mudblood!" Draco yelled, shoving the added weight off him.

"Get your hands off me!" Hermione screamed.

"Lumos". Hermione muttered.

Draco lay flat on his back trying to catch his breath as Hermione stood up, brushing herself down to remove the soil that clung to her. She stared intently at the boy at her feet. Surely he couldn't be out of breath after such a small amount of movement. Especially as he had played Quidditch. He looked particularly damp with sweat.

"I...can't...breath..."

"Oh shut up Malfoy and get up". Hermione said, whilst folding her arms.

"...help...me..."

"We haven't got time for this". Hermione said impatiently, rolling her eyes.

"...please..."

Hermione's eyes widened as she realised that the boy, twitching at her feet, was not throwing any pranks in an attempt to wind her up.

She immediately crouched down beside him.

"What's wrong? What can I do?" Hermione said huriedly.

"...help..."

"Calm down. Breath slowly." Hermione replied.

Draco responded by gripping Hermione's hand tightly.

"Everything is going to be alright, just try not to panic. Breath in and out slowly, you have to get your breathing under control". She said in a reassuring yet firm tone, as she began to stroke his hand with her thumb.

Draco breathed in and out slowly, his whole body still trembling against the girl sitting next to him.

"That's it Malfoy, in and out slowly".

This process went on for about five minutes, until Draco eventually began to calm down. He snatched his hand away from Hermione's and pushed himself up into a seating position.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing". Draco grunted.

"Well if you ask me, that was definitely something". Hermione replied.

"Well no one asked you Granger, did they?"

"Fine. I won't bother helping you in future".

"Good. I don't need your help". Draco answered sharply.

"Yes, which is why you were practically begging me just now".

"No I was not".

"Yes you was Malfoy".

"OKAY! I AM SCARED OF THE DARK". Draco yelled.

"What?" She asked.

"You heard me Granger, now leave it".

"Well I..."

"I said I do not want to talk about it".

"Okay".

Draco got to his feet and Hermione decided to briefly change the subject and show Draco the patters on the walls which he found very interesting, or so he said. Hermione was under the impression that he merely acted as though he did, to prevent Hermione asking more questions, resulting in him having to go into great deal with someone he despised.

They began walking again shortly after, in a different direction which neither of them had passed by before.

"Granger..."

"What?"

"Thanks for earlier". Draco muttered.

He had almost whispered it, yet Hermione just about heard him. Shock filled her body.

"No problem Malfoy".

_A/N_

_Please review._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

I apologise for not updating sooner, I have been really busy. I am back now though and shall keep the chapters coming.

Chapter 3

The Outlet

The pair had been walking for several hours now, not knowing which way to turn, which direction they were going in, what to do even. They were becoming severely tired when they realised they appeared to be on a new route that they had not yet walked upon. The soil which was once beneath them had now faded away as they walked further along this pathway. The surface was much harder now, almost cave-like. It felt like the walls were closing in on them, yet neither mentioned this to the other incase it caused further discomfort. It was like they were entering a tunnel, which was becoming more enclosed as they proceeded.

"What's that Granger?" Draco said anxiously, holding his wand aloft whilst coming to a hault.

"Where?" Hermione replied, a little confused with what he was on about.

"Are you blind? Right there on the floor". Draco answered harshly.

"Well if you would have been more specific in the first place". Hermione said as she approached the patch of ground where Draco was now pointing at.

Hermione crouched down on the floor to get a closer look at the disturbed ground. She lowered her wand which revealed a large foot print embedded into the ground. She touched it lightly with her fingers, frowning. It was too large to be either of their footprints, not to mention that they had not passed this part yet.

"It's a foot print". She said.

Draco walked over to join her, he too crouched down to get a closer look. She was right, it was a foot print. There was only one set though, meaning that there had been someone else in there alone, or there still was.

"There's more". Hermione said quietly.

They stood up right and stared at the floor. From what Draco could see, there was a trail of them.

"What should we do?" She asked.

"It would be pretty stupid for us to turn around and carry on walking in circles, wouldn't it Granger?" Draco replied sarcastically.

Hermione pulled a face at him before beginning to continue ahead, Draco walking by her side. It wasn't long after when Draco was sure he could hear movement behind them, not daring too look back he remained at Hermione's side. Until something much louder sounded throughout the 'cave'. It was as if too much pressure was in a certain place causing a big rock too fall from one of the walls. They both stopped abruptly.

"What was that?" Draco asked, startled.

"I don't know". She replied, her eyes slightly wider than usual.

"C'mon". Draco said quitely, looking at the ground to see if the footsteps were still on the floor.

They walked on further, at a slightly quicker pace than before until they reached the final foot step. They were both befuddled. They looked at the walls, behind them, in front of them. There was no explanation for why the foot steps had stopped so suddenly. They exchanged glances and continued cautiously, only being able to see a few inches in front of them from their wand lights and then Hermione's foot slipped from the pathway, her body launched forward as she fell from, what was obviously a ledge. Throwing her wand at the place she was stood moments ago, she clinged onto the side for dear life, not daring to look down into the darkness.

Draco remained rooted to the spot for a few moments, apparently unsure of what to do.

"Malfoy". Hermione pleaded, her fingers slipping from the surface.

What he did next was just based on instinct. His wand fell at his feet as he clambered onto the floor, his hand wrapping around Hermione's wrist. He pulled with all his might, not realising she would weigh as much as she did. She didn't seem to be moving from the spot, just hovering as he tugged. After what seemed like several minutes, she began to move into his direction. His other hand pulled at the other arm until she was hoisted onto the edge. He lay flat onto his back, breathing heavily. She crawled further away from the edge, shaking a little from the shock.

"You...You saved my life". Hermione stuttered.

"Don't exaggerate, Granger". Draco replied coldly.

"You didn't have to help me".

"Well now we're even aren't we?"

Hermione knew that there was more to it that, he hated her yet was particularly quick off the mark when she was in danger.

As far as they could see, the pathway still exsisted, yet it was much smaller this time and led into nothing...just a massive black hole. It must have been half a mile long. They could not remain where they were though, so they got to their feet ready to carry on, this time they were more alert than last. Draco leading the way, Hermione closely behind him, they walked next to the wall around the huge hole, being careful where they were treading.

"This is absolutely ridiculous". Draco spat.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Draco went into another one of his rants.

"What good is magic when you can't even use it to get out of places? Wait until I tell my father about this, this is all Dumbledore's fault."

"Oh give it a rest Malfoy".

"There's light, Granger, I can see light". Draco muttered, hopefully.

Hermione leant forwards to look around Draco, and she too could see a slit with white daylight glowing through it. They approached it carefully, until they were inches away from it. They looked through the small slit, breating in the fresh air. It was merely hardened soil that held this part of the wall together, it only took a push from Draco and the slit largened to a gap which they could fit through. Stepping through it, closely followed by Hermione, they were astonished with what they were looking at.

A/N

Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dysmorphism

There was an open stretch of land, consisting only of tightly packed trees. It looked like a calm place. The ground was moist which was caused by fine rain, now falling lightly upon the treetops. And that was all they could see, miles and miles of trees. It was still light outside, yet the temperature was changing rapidly, and it would soon becoming darker as night time hit the strange place.

"What is this?" Hermione whispered.

"I don't know Granger, but it looks better than staying in here". Draco answered.

She nodded, muttering 'nox' and putting her wand safely into the inside of her robes, Draco doing the same. And they began walking straight ahead.

She was not about to disagree with him. Although they did not know where they were, Hermione thought that she would rather be walking around outside in the fresh air, than trapped inside not knowing where they were treading. She had had already nearly fallen, she didn't want anything else to go wrong. Not to mention those mysterious footsteps which just randomly stopped, without an explanation as to where the 'person' had gone.

"I bet Dumbledore will have figured something is wrong by now". Hermione began. "If that's the case, I bet the castle will be searched soon".

"Incase you haven't noticed Granger, it doesn't look like we're still in the Hogwarts grounds."

Apparently oblivious to what Draco had said, she continued speaking her thoughts.

"I wonder what Harry and Ron are doing".

"Potter and Weasley probably haven't even noticed you are gone. You're not exactly one to be missed". He replied, sniggering.

She glared at him intently.

"Friends look out for eachother. Of course, someone like _you_ wouldn't know that".

"Ha, people who regard _your_ sort as friends have my greatest sympathy".

"M-my sort. And what do you mean by that?"

"Surely you can-" He began, stopping midway in a sentence. "What the bloody hell is that".

Hermione looked in the direction that Draco was gesturing to. At first, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking at amongst the trees, and then she saw it move from behind a tree to behind another. Her eyes squinted as she strained to see what it was. She could make out a sort of human sort, just slightly larger. They could see almost everything from where they were. They were on a higher level, looking down upon everything.

"HELLO". Draco yelled, which echoed around them.

"What are you doing you idiot?!". Hermione snapped.

Draco didn't remove his eyes from the 'person'. It looked startled at the sudden sound, briefly looking around before settling his eyes on Draco and Hermione. They couldn't see it's eyes, yet it was looking in their direction so they knew it had acknowledged them. The next few moments the three stared at one another, the thing begen to approach them.

"He's seen us, we can ask where we are Granger".

As it got closer to them, Hermione knew that something was wrong. It was carrying a large shiny object, which looked oddly like a hand made weapon.

"Over here". Draco called.

It wasn't until it reached the bottom of the cliff-like platform that they were standing upon that they could see it's features. It looked female, it's long brown hair receeded to the center of the head. It was completely deformed, nothing less than a freak of nature. Teeth too big for it's mouth and a pimpled face. The thing threw it's head back and made a horrible screeching sound before beginning to climb the rocks.

Draco and Hermione realised they were in danger. They turned slowly to face one another, sharing looks of pure horror. Hermione took out her wand aiming it down at it.

"Stupefy". She siad loudly.

Nothing happened.

"Stupefy". She shouted.

Nothing happened again.

Draco snatched out his wand impatiently, aiming it at the deformed creature.

"Confringo". He said loudly, sweeping his wand in the air.

Nothing happened.

Stuffing his wand back into his pocket, he then grabbed the side of her sleeve and pulled her into a fast run. They did not know where they were running to, they just ran in the opposite direction. They came to the edge. Draco pulled Hermione down it, sliding on their backs. He thought that if they were down on the ground there would be less chance of it seeing them. Not letting go of her sleeve, he roughly pulled her to her feet before running again not caring that Hermione was struggling to keep up.

They ran between trees and over fallen branches for almost half an hour, not daring to look back once. And then they came to abandoned looking hut. The headed right for the front door, not bothering to knock. Draco opened the door and ran in pulling Hermione after him. They both panted, struggling to catch their breaths.

For a few moments, they stood there not saying or doing anything. They were glad to see that it was empty.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know Granger". He replied, looking at her.

She had never been around him long enough to see his emotions before. Even though there was very little light in the cabin, she could see his face clearly, and looking at him now, he was frightened.

"Lumos". Draco said impatiently, whipping around. "Lumos. Lumos. Lumos."

He threw his wand violently across the room, Hermione flinched at this sudden outburst of anger.

"Why won't our wands work?" He shouted.

"Be quiet!" Hermione said in a loud whisper. "We've just lost that thing, we don't want it to hear us again".

Draco began walking around the hut, it was quite small. There was only the one window which was next to the door. A small amount of light came through it, outlining the things inside the room. There was a cooker and a wooden surface in the corner. In one of the other corners there were several boxes and against the one wall was a small grubby sofa. It was obvious no one had lived here in a while. He picked his wand up off the floor and went to sit down on the floor near the window, with his back against the wall. Hermione joined him sitting arms length away from him.

"What are we going to do Malfoy?" She asked him gently, her head in her hands.

"I don't know, I was hoping you would have some bright idea". He answered, leaning his head against the wall.

"That thing...What was it?" She asked.

"I don't know Granger, I know only what you know". He snapped.

That sat there in silence, just thinking until the last ounce of light disappeared from the room. They were in complete darkness, only being able to see the outline of eachother and vaguely being able to see their expressions.

"I hope you know that just because I am stuck in this mess with you doesn't mean we should get acquainted". Draco said finally.

"I'm tired Malfoy, I cannot be bothered to argue". She answered, yawning.

She shuffled nearer to the wall, resting her head on it. She closed her eyes, just resting them for a few moments.

"This will cause an uproar when my father finds out about this. I have never known anything like it in my life. It's a disgrace". He said quietly.

"Granger?" Draco asked, after a while of silence.

He leaned forwards, he could see the outline of her face and knew that she was asleep. He would not be able to go to sleep that evening, he knew that. Not only was he scared of what would happen if he did, even though he would not admit it, he wanted to stay awake just so that nothing happened to Hermione.

* * *

A/N

I know it may be a little dramatic, I suppose some people won't like it as they prefer simpler storylines.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jim

Apart from the occasional strong gush of wind, the night passed without a sound. Draco did not shut his eyes once. He remained in the same place, just sitting there thinking. Every now and then, he would look at Hermione, just to see if she was still asleep. Athough he struggled to see her features, he could just about work out that her eyes were closed.

Gradually, the sun began to rise, casting light upon the small hut. Light poured from the only window, and Draco watched as bit by bit, Hermione's face lightened. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked while she slept. It was just a pity she was so annoying when she was awake, he thought.

For a few moments, he could not take his eyes off her. Her skin was perfect. Her lips looked so soft. Her eyes were...open. Draco stared into her brown eyes. She stared back. After a few moments she blushed under his powerful gaze.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, startled.

"Huh?" He grunted, suddenly snapping back into reality.

"I was so tired, I must have just drifted off". Hermione said, stretching. "Did you get some sleep?"

"No". He said simply.

Hermione got to her feet to stretch her legs, walking over to the corner of the room where the cooker was. There was a cupboard on the wall, above the sink. She opened it to see empty shelves. She turned the tap on the sink, looking disgusted at the state of the sink. She picked up an old looking cup which was on the side and washed it thoroughly, before filling it with water and drinking it.

"Are you thirsty Malfoy?" She asked, re-filling the cup.

She turned around an was startled to see him so close to her. He was now standing just behind her. He took the cup out of her hand and began drinking it.

"We can't stay here Granger". Draco said dryly.

"Where do you propose we go then? If we move from here we may not find anywhere else to shelter". Hermione replied.

"I'm not staying here and waiting for... I have had the whole night to think about this, and if we stay here we will never get back to Hogwarts". He answered, gulping down the rest of the water. "C'mon Granger".

On that note, Hermione and Draco took one last look around the room before heading back outside. They hadn't really taken much notice of the surroundings the previous night. There was a pathway, in which had obviously evolved over time. There were many trees around the small hut, almost disguising it. There was nothing else distinctive about this place.

"Let's go this way Granger, I'm not going back that way". Draco said, gesturing to the direction they had ran from the evening before.

So off they went, along the path. As they walked, Hermione began absorbing everything around them. There were no colourful flowers. There were no birds, no wildlife. No sign of life at all. Everything just seemed so, undisturbed.

"This place is so strange". She said after a while. "It just seems to quiet".

"I knew you would have something irrelvant to say soon". Draco replied.

"It is not irrelevant at all. Have you not noticed that there is nothing Malfoy? Nothing at all, not even an annoying bug flying around. Look up at the sky, where are all the birds?" She snapped.

"Well". He began, looking up at the sky and around them.

He didn't have anything to say back to her because now he had noticed, she was actually right.

"Oh shut up Granger, you're being paranoid". He mumbled.

"Why can't you just admit when you're wrong?" She replied, exhasperated.

Suddenly, Draco's arm came out in front of her, forcing her to stop. They both came to a hault.

"What are you-"

"Shh". He whispered, putting his finger to his lips.

He then pointed in front of them. Just through the trees, they could see someone was coming towards them along the path. Draco backed away from the path towards one of the larger trees beside the path, guiding Hermione backwards with him. She pressed against the tree to avoid being seen. Draco stood in front of her, with his back towards where they had been standing moments ago, almost as if he was protecting Hermione.

Hermione looked up at him, frightened. He looked down into her eyes, holding the eye contact. He had never looked into her eyes properly before. He didn't realise there were so many shades of one colour. Her eyes were beautiful.

"Oi". A voice called.

Draco blinked, turning his head away from Hermione a little.

"Oi". The voice repeated again, a little louder this time.

He turned around to see an old man standing on the pathway. He started to walk over to the pair slowely, his walking stick wobbling under his unsteady hand.

"What you doin' out 'ere?" He said loudly. "Tryin' to get yourselves killed?!"

Draco looked at Hermione who had stepped forwards to stand next to him.

"We..."

"Nevermind. You can't stay 'ere, come with me". He muttered, beginning to head into the trees.

Draco and Hermione exchanged uncertain looks.

"C'mon! They'll be comin' out soon, you don't want to be found do you?!" He said loudly.

The pair began to follow the man, glaring at eachother as they did so. Hermione frowned at him, in which he knew instantly was more of a question. He shook his head shurugging, not knowing where the man was taking them.

"Keep up".

They quickened their pace until they were standing just behind the man. He walked quite quickly, considering he had a walking stick. Although it seemed to be just his one leg which was causing him trouble.

They hadn't been walking long before they came to a little cabin, similar to Hagrid's. They followed the man onto the doorstep. He opened the door and went in, gesturing for them to follow him. They entered the cabin and stood still, apparently not wanting to go any further without permission.

"Sit down, sit down". The man ushered.

They sat on the bench, which had a blanket thrown over it. As the man took his jacket off, hanging it on the bath of the door. He walked out of the room.

"Tea?" Shouted the man.

Draco looked at Hermione, as if she would tell him what he was supposed to say.

"Um...Yes please". She called back.

They heard the cups clang together and the kettle begin to whistle loudly.

"We don't really have any other options do we Malfoy?" Hermione whispered, noticing his confused expression.

"Here we go". The man said, handing Draco and Hermione their drink.

"Thank you". Hermione said, taking the cup from him.

Draco didn't say anything as he took the drink from the man.

Hermione looked at him warningly, and nudged him slightly.

"Oh. Thanks". He said to the man.

The old man propped his walking stick up against the wall befrore settling down in one of the two chairs opposite Draco and Hermione.

"What exactly were you doin' out there at this time?" He said, staring at the pair.

They exchanged looks with eachother, before Hermione opened her mouth to speak. It was obvious she would be the one doing all of the talking.

"I'm sorry, but where exactly are we?" She asked.

"Ah. I take it you've come from Hogwarts?" The man sighed.

Draco and Hermione looked at one another hopefully.

"Yes! How did you-"

"You're not the first". The man answered. "I'm Jim". He added, holding his hand out to shake Hermione's hand".

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Hermione". She replied, taking his hand shaking it.

The man held his hand out to Draco next, who reluctantly took hold of it.

"Draco". He grunted.

"Excuse him, he's a little tired". She said, glaring at Draco.

The man muttered something laughing.

"How did you get yourselves here then?" He asked.

"Well we were at Hogwarts, and I'm not exactly sure what happened. The headmaster, Dumbledore sent for us. We were on out way there, and instead of entering a room, we sort of just dropped". Hermione began. "It sounds strange, but-"

"Albus' security is slippin". Jim said.

"You know Dumbledore?" Hermione said, excitedly.

"Oh yes, of course. You see, not many know of this place. Albus does of course. You see, Brenville is a dangerous place. There are creatures, I don't know if you've encountered anythin' as of yet, but believe you and me, this place isn't very nice." He Began.

Jim leaned forward and took a sip of his drink, before slouching back in the chair and continuing.

"You've heard of the giants I take it?" He asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Well, like the giants Dumbledore wanted to protect these creatures. They were people once, ordinary people like us, they interbred. They can't help it I suppose, but they're very different from us. They eat meat. Meat bein' anythin' from birds and rabbits to...people".

Draco shot up in an attempt to leave no doubt. Hermione took hold of his wrist and tugged him down so he was seating again.

"Is that why there are is no wildlife or anything?" She asked Jim.

"Yeah. And they've got to eat somehow, so they eat the next best thing". Jim replied.

"Well...why are you still, you know. Alive." She asked awkwardly.

"Unlike the other

s, I've stayed low. The best times to go out are at night and early mornin', anythin' after the afternoon is risky.' He answered.

"How do we get out of here?" Draco asked.

"Well lad, you can't go back the way you came. You have to go another way, which could take you quite a long time". Jim replied.

"How long is long?"

"Weeks".

"Weeks?!" Hermione shouted.

* * *

The three had spoken all day. Jim told them stories of those who died, and those who were still alive staying low like he was.

"Right, best get you two off to bed. We'll want to get goin' early in the mornin'". Jim said getting to his feet.

The pair stood and the old man lead them through to the back bedroom where there was a small wardrobe, a set of drawers and a king sized double bed. He knocked the light on.

"G'night".

Before they could complain about having to share a bed, Jim had disappeared.

"Well I am not going to be immature about this". Hermione said, walking over to the bed and sitting on the one side of it.

She began to take her shoes off, followed by her robes leaving just her skirt and shirt to sleep in. She placed them on the floor, pulled back the covers and crawled into bed. Draco decided that there were more important things going on than this. So he too took his robes off and his shoes. He walked over and turned the light off, before walking back to the bed and climbing in the opposite side to Hermione.

"Goodnight Granger".

"Goodnight Malfoy".

A/N

_Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N

Short I know, but seeing as I haven't updated in SO long, I need to see if people are still interested..

Chapter 6

Stupid

Hermione was in a deep sleep. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Ron. They were laughing and joking about something or other. She could hear movement and muffled voices. There was a loud bang and she awoke abruptly.

She sat up slowly. Draco was facing her, his eyes closed. She had never taken the time to look at him closely before. His skin was nothing less than perfect. His complexion, pure, _'as is his blood'_ Hermione thought. His rosy lips and shiny blonde hair. He had finely chiselled features, he really did.

"You have no business here". A man said loudly.

This startled Hermione, she took hold of Draco's shoulder and shook him. He didn't wake up.

"Draco". She whispered, shaking him much harder this time.

Draco woke up immediately at the sound of his name. He looked puzzled.

"What do -"

She shook her head quickly, silencing him. He too sat up. She pointed towards the door for him to listen.

"Get out". The man ordered.

A glass shattered, followed by a loud bang against the wall furthest away from Draco and Hermione. The pair exchanged glances, Hermione's eyes sure to pop out of her head. There were more loud noises. Objects crashed against the walls and doors. And then silence.

They sat there for several moments, straining to hear any sound of movement. And then they heard footsteps, very slow, loud thumping footsteps. They were getting closer. Without taking any chances, Draco got to his feet, pulling Hermione up by her hand. They headed for the window quickly. He put his finger to his mouth as an indication for her to be quiet. He opened the window and climbed through it as fast as he could.

Hermione could hear the footsteps becoming louder and louder as they approached. Draco tugged at her arm, forcing her to climb onto the window ledge in a seating position. She put her legs through. He took hold of her waist and pulled her out. She pushed the window shut, hearing the door creak as she did so. They fell to the floor in crouching positions, trying hard to hide within the bushes. They remained there for a few moments, Draco's arm still wrapped tightly around her waist. Her arm clinging to his. They looked at one another, confused before quickly releasing one another. After a few more moments, Draco slowly creeped up to the window to take a look inside.

"What the..." He said slowly.

Hermione stood up, crouching over to make sure she wouldn't be seen. It was him. It. The thing they saw before. Except, an older version with greyish hair. It was sitting on the bed. It was smelling their robes. And then it all happened fast. Jim came bursting into the room, hitting it over the head with a wooden mallet. It fell backwards onto the bed. Jim looked over at the window. His face was bleeding in many places. He fell to the floor.

Without hesitation, Draco and Hermione started to run, heading for the front door.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Stupid

Draco and Hermione charged back into the cabin as quickly as they could. The frail man lay still on the floor, sticky blood oozing from his arm.

"Jim?" Hermione asked, as she knelt by his side, "Jim, can you hear me?"

The man did not reply, but remained motionless.

"Don't just stand there, go and get some water!" Hermione told Draco, exasperated.

He did so, returning moments later with a mug of water. Hermione had put a pillow under Jim's head.

"Here", Draco said.

Without thinking, he threw the cup of water onto Jim's face.

"Malfoy!" Hermione snapped.

Draco looked scolded. But it had worked, Jim grunted and began to wake up.

"Can you hear me Jim?"

"Well of course he bloody can". Scoffed Draco.

Hermione gave him a dirty look and turned her attention back to Jim, who had drifted back out of consciousness.

"He has been bitten". Hermione stated, taking Jim's arm into hers, examining the open wound. "I'll be back in a minute".

Hermione left the room leaving Draco standing next to the man. He knelt down beside him not knowing what else to do. Jim shifted slightly.

"Son. There's an antidote. Yellow. In there. Get it". Jim croaked.

"Granger". Draco shouted. Granger!"

Hermione came running back into the room.

"What?" She asked breathlessly.

"He said get the antidote".

"Antidote? What-"

"In there", Draco said harshly, pointing to a cupboard in the hallway, which was just visible from the room.

"Here". Hermione said, handing Draco a dressing and a bowl of water with a cloth.

She then walked out of the room again, and opened the cupboard door. There were many different bottles, tubs and pots with different liquids in.

"Which one?" She whispered to herself.

"Yellow". Draco replied at her side.

Hermione jumped.

"Don't do that!" She shouted.

She began fiddling through the different jars until she came to a small one containing a thick, yellow substance.

The pair returned to Jim's side.

"Give me the water and cloth". Hermione said rolling up her sleeves, as Draco watched intently.

He help the bowl for her and gave her the cloth. She took Jim's arm in her hands and began cleaning the wound. Once she was certain the wound was cleaned thoroughly, she patted it dry. She also attended to his other wounds on his face, which were only very minor, thankfully.

"Where is the antidote?" She asked Draco.

"Here", he said holding it out for her.

Without taking her eyes off Jim, she reached to the side to take it from him. Her hand rested upon his as she did so. She quickly removed it and took the antidote from him.

Draco's hand tingled where her hand had touched his. The warmth of her hand seemed to leave a mark. He wiped his hand on his trousers as a force of habit.

"There, that will do". Hermione said, breaking the silence. "Can you help me move him to his bed?"

"I suppose I will have to". Draco said, returning to his usual grumpy self. "What about that?" He added, pointing at the creature lying in a heap on the bed.

"Jim said they sleep throughout the night and early morning, so I think we should move it before the afternoon".

Draco stood up and left the room, returning shortly after with some rope. He walked over to the bed and turned the creature over onto it's face.

"Come here and hold his hands". Draco asked.

Hermione walked over and stoop by his side.

She took it's two claw-like hands. Draco began to wrap the rope around them and tie it in a knot.

"Move Jim first".

Jim was not a very large man, so it did not take much effort to move him to the front bedroom. They then moved through to the other room to move the creature. It took a lot more effort this time, and they decided on moving it into the bushes not far from the cabin. They did so, making sure it was a good distance from where they were staying.

They returned to the cabin and locked the door. Draco sat down on the bench which they had occupied on their first night there.

"Drink?" She asked Draco, without looking at him.

He merely nodded.

She walked over to the cooker in the corner and lit the hob with a match. She filled the kettle and placed it on top. Leaving it to boil, she walked over to the bench and sat beside Draco.

"I suppose we are going to have to stay here for longer now, aren't we?" Draco asked her, annoyance threatened in his tone.

"I just want to go back". She replied.

"Well we can't now he has gone and got himself bitten".

"He did not _get _himself bitten".

"Well whatever, we have still got to stay longer now".

"This is mental. It is all so stupid". She replied, leaning back.

"Granger?"

"What?" She snapped, turning to look at him.

His hand came up to her face and he gently touched her cheek with his thumb. His bright grey eyes pierced hers, lingering only for a moment before whispering the words..

"Is this stupid?"

Draco leaned in and kissed Hermione. He could feel her heart beating fast against his chest. He brushed his lips gently upon hers and instantly felt something burning inside of him.


End file.
